


Second Wind

by 21CenturyNinja



Category: Lego Ninjago
Genre: Adventure, Amnesia, Best Friends, Enemies to Friends, F/M, Female Friendship, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Friendship/Love, Ghosts, M/M, Male Friendship, Memory Loss, Romance, Romantic Friendship
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-01
Updated: 2020-07-22
Packaged: 2021-03-02 01:47:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 8,568
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23937091
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/21CenturyNinja/pseuds/21CenturyNinja
Summary: Ninjago City is where all the strange things happen. But few are as strange as the memory of a former enemy being mysteriously erased. Only time will tell if the ninja will be able to accept that their foe is no longer evil. Is it true that everyone deserves a second chance? (Contains some suggestive comments, as well as future violence and language)
Relationships: Lloyd Garmadon & Kai, Lloyd Garmadon/Kai, Nya & Jay Walker, Nya/Jay Walker, P.I.X.A.L./Zane (Ninjago)
Comments: 19
Kudos: 47





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello readers!!! :)
> 
> I started this story a few years ago and recently picked it back up again. I wrote the first chapter in the restroom at a school dance—I'm not even kidding. If that doesn't tell you a good deal about my personality... XD
> 
> Anyways, I got this idea and decided to run with it. I love Morro, and I always have, so I wanted to bring him back. Of course, I was thrilled to see him return in Day of the Departed, and I wish he would've stayed. Well, at least he can do so through fanfiction!
> 
> For context, this story takes place shortly after Possession. Cole is a ghost, Zane is the Titanium Ninja, and Morro is human.
> 
> I hope you enjoy!

The sun had set. It was cold in the streets of New Ninjago City. Fall was almost over, beginning to give way to the chills of winter.   
  
A hooded figure climbed up the hill towards the local tea store. It seemed familiar to him, though he wasn't sure how or why. The cool wind blew around him, but for some reason, he didn't mind.   
  
He continued to walk up the slope. The windmills creaked as they were moved by the breeze. The moon was bright, lighting up the sky though the earth was consumed in darkness. The man looked up, sighing when he realized there was still quite a distance to go. He pulled his hood further over his dark brown hair and continued to trudge up the hill.

* * *

"What does this one do?" A red-headed young man asked, holding up a box of tea.   
  
A slightly older black-haired boy took the box from him. "This is Tomorrow's Tea," he answered.   
  
"We stay away from that one," a young blonde remarked, taking the tea out of his friend's hands and climbing up the shelves to place it out of reach.   
  
"Be careful, Lloyd," a red-clad ninja warned. "We can't have our leader falling and hurting himself, now, can we?"   
  
Lloyd jumped down. "I'm the green ninja, Kai," he responded. "I'm pretty sure I can handle a couple of shelves."   
  
Kai ruffled the younger boy's hair. "I know," he said. "I just don't want you to get hurt."   
  
"Hey!" Lloyd smiled before grabbing Kai's hands. "Hey, no one messes up my hair!"   
  
A dark-haired girl entered the shop. "Are you boys finished restocking the tea?" She asked.   
  
The black ninja jumped down from the crate he was standing on. "Just about, Nya," he responded.   
  
"Cole's lying," the redhead told her. "There's a whole 'nother shipment in the back."   
  
Cole rolled his eyes. "For your information, Jay, I didn't know there was more."   
  
"That's because I brought it in when you were in the bathroom," a young man dressed in white spoke up as he strolled into the store. "Taking forever, I might add."   
  
"Ooh! Zane told you!" Jay pointed at Cole and laughed, earning him a glare from the black ninja.   
  
"Anyway," Kai said, "We're almost finished. There's one last set of tea boxes, then we're done."   
  
Nya nodded. "Well, I'll take care of that. You boys can take a break."   
  
"We haven't actually done that much," Kai told her. "You've been carrying boxes all day. You're the one that could use a break, not us."   
  
"Thanks for noticing," she replied. "But I'm good. I know you guys want your video game time. Besides, you've all been training for years to be ninja. I just became one a few months ago. I need the workout."   
  
"Thanks, Nya," Cole said. "If you want any help, just ask."   
  
Nya went to the back of the shop and brought a few boxes out. The five other ninja went to play video games in their brand new game room. It was a small building across from Steep Wisdom, built by all of the ninja so they could have a place to relax when they didn't need to be aboard the Bounty.   
  
The boys sat on the long couch in the game room. Cole turned on the TV and grabbed the four controllers.   
  
"Why are all of our games only four players?" He wondered.   
  
"Seriously," Kai agreed. "There are six of us, not four...anymore."   
  
"I'll sit this one out," Lloyd offered. "I'm pretty tired."   
  
"Thanks," Jay said. "You're so nice!"   
  
Lloyd shrugged. Cole handed a controller to Zane, Jay, and Kai, and kept the last one for himself.   
  
"Hey! I wanna be player one!" Jay complained.   
  
"You were last time," Zane reminded him.   
  
Jay sighed but didn't argue. He selected his character, and his friends did the same. Lloyd snuggled up next to Kai and fell asleep almost immediately. 

* * *

It had been almost two hours since the ninja had started playing their video game. Lloyd was still asleep, and the others were starting to tire as well. Nya had finished unloading the last of the tea after about thirty minutes, and was watching _LEGO Star Wars_ with Skylor in the back of the store.   
  
Sensei Wu and Misako had been out for hours advertising their tea shop, and they had told the ninja that they wouldn't be back for a few days.   
  
The bell on the door rang, alerting the girls that someone had entered Steep Wisdom. Nya paused the movie and stood up.   
  
"Sounds like we have a customer," she remarked.   
  
Skylor raised an eyebrow. "Could it just be the ninja?" She asked.   
  
Nya shook her head. "If it were, we would have heard them talking long before they got inside."   
  
Skylor laughed. "That's true," she remarked. "I remember when we were in my father's Tournament, Kai just wouldn't stop talking. And don't even get me started on Jay."   
  
"He does talk way too much," Nya agreed. "But he's an amazing boyfriend, regardless."   
  
"You two make a good couple," Skylor agreed.   
  
"Thanks," Nya said. She started heading towards the main part of the store, making sure Skylor was following.   
  
They walked out into the front of the shop to see that there was, indeed, a customer. He wore a hooded black robe, and they couldn't tell what he looked like.   
  
"Good evening," Nya greeted. "Welcome to Steep Wisdom." She shot a nervous glance at Skylor.   
  
"How can we help you?" The red-haired girl asked.   
  
The figure spoke up. "I want to buy some tea," he said. He had a deep voice that sounded vaguely familiar to Nya.   
  
"Well, that's what we sell," Nya replied. "What kind do you want?"   
  
"Traveler's Tea," the young man answered.   
  
"Okay," Skylor said. "I'll go get some." She went over to one of the shelves, returning a moment later with a box of the tea. "Here you go." She handed the box to the customer.   
  
"Thank you," he responded. He handed her some money and turned to leave.   
  
At that moment, Lloyd entered the shop. "Hey, Nya—" he paused when he saw the man. "Oh, we have a customer! Sweet!"   
  
The hooded figure stopped for a moment as he seemed to recognize the young ninja. He shook his head in annoyance when he failed to remember.   
  
Lloyd squinted as he tried to identify the man. He caught sight of his shadowed face and dark, shoulder-length hair.   
  
He gasped, clamping a hand over his mouth. "What the—?" He breathed. "Morro?"   
  
The man jumped. "How do you know my name?" He asked warily.   
  
Lloyd took off Morro's hood. "H-how are you here?" He questioned. "You died...twice!"   
  
Morro narrowed his eyes. "I don't know what you're talking about," he said. "I don't even know who the heck you are."   
  
"Wait," Lloyd said. "So, you don't remember anything?"   
  
He shook his head. "I've pretty much been on my own for as long as I can remember, which isn't very long at all," he replied. "You seem familiar, though I really don't know how."   
  
Skylor spoke next. "So, you don't remember trying to—"   
  
Lloyd put his index finger to his lips, indicating for her to stop talking. She kept quiet, a puzzled look on her face.   
  
Lloyd bolted over to Skylor and Nya. "If he doesn't remember, don't tell him," he ordered. "Call me crazy, but I think he's telling the truth. If that's the case, he can't find out about his real past.   
  
The others nodded. The green ninja walked back over to the former ghost.   
  
"Do you have a place to stay?" He asked.   
  
Morro shook his head. "I live on the streets," he replied. "I planned to use this Traveler's Tea to visit other realms, in hopes of remembering who I really am."   
  
"Trust me," Lloyd said. "That won't be necessary."   
  
Morro gave him a confused look.   
  
"Uh, anyway, you can stay here if you like," he offered. "Well, not in the shop, but in my room. If you want to."   
  
"Really?" Morro asked. "I mean, I couldn't. I hardly even know you."   
  
"It's fine. Really," Lloyd replied. "I wasn't going to sleep in there tonight anyway. Besides, I don't think you're a bad guy."   
  
Morro smiled. "Thank you so much," he said. "That's so nice of you. I promise I won't stay long."   
  
"Hey," Lloyd said. "Everyone deserves a second chance." He realized his mistake immediately. "At life, I mean! Or, whatever."   
  



	2. Chapter 2

Morro opened his eyes. He was standing in a dark museum. He looked around, seeing that everything was quiet. Nobody seemed to be around.

He shifted his gaze to what looked like a mirror. He saw his reflection, except he was pale and green, like a ghost. Morro walked closer, as did his reflection. However, when he stopped, the man in what he thought was a mirror kept walking. 

Morro gasped and moved out of the way. He watched as his ghostly self looked through some of the boxes. After going through a few, he found what he was looking for. The ghost pulled a blue piece of armor out of a medium-sized box. 

"Here it is," he said. "The Allied Armor."

Suddenly, footsteps could be heard from the hallway. Morro ducked out of sight, and his pale reflection hid in the empty box. 

An older man walked into the room. He checked to make sure no one else was there, then began playing with some of the statues.

Without warning, Morro's ghost flew out of his hiding place and proceeded to scare the man. He possessed one of the animatronics, which terrified the man even more.

Morro watched in horror as the ghost flew toward the security guard, easily possessing him. The possessed man turned to look at the frightened Morro. 

"What are you looking at?" He asked. 

Morro shot up. He rubbed his eyes as he looked around, realizing that he was on the floor of an unfamiliar room. He sighed in relief when he noticed it had only been a dream. 

It took him a few seconds to remember where he was. He was in Lloyd's room, where he had slept the previous night. He looked at the clock. 2 a.m. He thought back to his dream. 

_ That was strange _ , he thought. He struggled to remember exactly what had happened, but the memory was quickly fading. 

* * *

He shook his head, annoyed, before lying down and going back to sleep. 

"You'll never guess what happened," Lloyd said. 

He was sitting on the floor in Kai's room beside Cole. Jay and Zane were on Kai's red sofa, and the fire ninja sat on his bed. They had decided to have a sleepover, though none of them would admit it. 

"What's up?" Kai asked. 

"Okay, so I went to ask Nya where Sensei his the snacks, and I saw that we had a customer," Lloyd began. 

"Go on," Cole urged. 

Lloyd looked at each of his friends. "It was Morro," he told them. 

"Wait,  _ what _ ?" Jay gasped.

"Morro was here?" Zane asked. 

Lloyd nodded. "Yeah. But - get this - he doesn't remember anything that happened between us."

"That's crazy!" Kai remarked. "How could he even come back here? He died!"

"I'm not sure," Lloyd replied.

"Where is he now?" Jay questioned. "Did he leave?"

"I said he could stay in my room," Lloyd answered. 

"Lloyd!" Kai said. "Why would you do that? He's our enemy!"

" _ Was  _ our enemy," the green ninja corrected. "Like I said, he has no memory of being evil. Besides, doesn't everyone deserve a second chance?"

Cole sighed. "So what if he doesn't remember? He was evil before. How do we know he isn't now?"

"He possessed  _ me _ , remember?" Lloyd argued. "If any of us should be skeptical of him, it's me. But I'm willing to give him a chance." He looked to his friends. "Why aren't you?"

"Lloyd's right," Kai spoke up. "If he really doesn't know what happened, there's no reason we should assume he's still evil. He did what he did because he wanted to be the green ninja. If he doesn't remember ever wanting that, he has nothing against us."

"Thanks, Kai," Lloyd said. He turned to the other three. "So?" He asked. "What do you say?"

"I think you're right," Zane decided. "Anyone can change. Just look at what happened with Sensei Garmadon."

"As well as the skeletons, Pythor, and the rest of the serpentine," Kai added.

"I guess you have a point," Cole said. "But that doesn't mean I'm going to be his friend. It just means I won't pour water on him when he's not looking."

"He's not a ghost anymore," Lloyd told him. 

Cole grinned. "Then maybe I will pour water on him," he joked. 

Lloyd threw one of Kai's socks at the black ninja. 

"Hey!" He groaned. "We never throw Kai's socks. You wanna throw somebody else's, fine. Just not Kai's. They're too stinky."

Kai glared at him and threw another sock. Cole gagged and threw it back. 

"Sock fight!" Jay cheered. He took off his socks, stood up, and chucked one at Zane and one at Lloyd.

Everyone else jumped up. Before long, they were in the middle of a full-on sock war. 

"Cole is right," Zane remarked. "Kai's socks are the stinkiest!"

Kai threw one of his red socks at the ice ninja. 

"Aah!" Zane joked. "I've been hit!" He over-dramatically fell to the ground.

The four other ninja laughed hysterically. 

"From now on," Lloyd said, "if you get hit with one of Kai's socks, you're out!"

"Wouldn't we be out anyway?" Cole asked. "I mean, they're so smelly, I'm not sure how we haven't all passed out!"

Kai laughed and threw a red sock at Jay. 

"Tell Nya I love her!" The blue ninja said, and fake died. 

"It's down to the final three," Cole pointed out. "Who will be the sock champion?"

Lloyd and Kai looked at each other and nodded. Kai chucked one of his socks at Cole. 

The earth ninja dodged it with ease. At that moment, Lloyd threw a red sock and hit Cole square in the nose. 

"Ah!" Cole cried. "It burns!" He held his nose and fell down. 

"Now it's between Lloyd and Kai," Jay said. "Only one can remain!"

"Maybe we didn't think this through," Kai sighed. 

Lloyd picked up two red socks and handed one to Kai. 

"On three," he said, winking at the fire ninja. "One..."

Kai nodded, a knowing look in his eyes. "...two..."

"...three!"

They both threw the socks at themselves. 

"Oh man!" Lloyd groaned. "They really do stink!"

"I had no idea they were this bad!" Kai agreed. 

They both dropped at the same time. 

"Aw, come on!" Jay said. "This isn't  _ The Hunger Games _ !"

Lloyd threw one of the 'weapons' at him. "Eat sock, President Zaptrap!"

"That was enjoyable!" Zane remarked. "Let's do it again!"

The others laughed. 

"No!" Cole said. "But another time, yeah."

"Maybe we should use clean socks next time," Kai suggested.

"No!" Lloyd argued. "That would ruin half the fun!"

Zane nodded. "He has a point."

Cole yawned. "I think I'm gonna get some shut-eye," he told them. 

"Good idea," Jay agreed. "It's almost three in the morning!"

Kai nodded. "Goodnight," he said. 

"And remember," Lloyd added, "in the morning, you all get to meet the new Morro."

"Great," Cole muttered sarcastically. 

Lloyd laughed softly. He closed his eyes and fell asleep.


	3. Chapter 3

_ Ring ring ring! _

The alarm clock went off. 

Kai groaned and put his pillow over his ears. Zane sat up as Jay jumped and fell off the couch. Cole threw a rolled-up sock at the clock, which did nothing but move it back a little. 

Lloyd formed an energy ball and launched it at the clock, silencing it.

"What time is it?" Cole asked. 

"It's nine," Lloyd replied. "Why are we so tired?"

"Maybe because we were up until three last night," Jay reminded them. 

Kai had already fallen back asleep. 

"Good morning, brothers," Zane said as he got to his feet. 

Lloyd yawned. "Morning, Zane," he responded. He scanned the room. "Anyone volunteer to wake Kai up?"

"I'll do it," Cole offered. He picked up one of Kai's socks and stuck it right in front of the red ninja's nose. 

" _ Hmmph _ ?" Kai made a noise as he began to smell the stench. His brown eyes shot open. "Ew!" He groaned. "What is that?"

Cole snickered. "Your sock," he told him. "How's it smell?"

Kai wrinkled his nose, glaring at Cole. "Better than your chili," he replied. 

"Ooh, burn!" Jay exclaimed. 

Lloyd laughed and rolled his eyes. 

"Okay," the green ninja began. "Now that we're all up, I have something to say to all of you."

"What is it?" Zane asked. 

"You all know Morro's here," he said. "I wanted to remind you guys, he doesn't know he was ever evil." He looked at each of them sternly. "Don't remind him."

Kai nodded. "I'll try."

"Of course," Zane agreed. "If he's not an enemy, there's no point in making him one."

Lloyd turned to Jay and Cole. "Can you guys promise you won't say anything about his past?"

Jay sighed. "Fine," he decided. 

"I suppose that if you can forgive him, so can we," Cole added.

Lloyd smiled. "Then let's go!"

* * *

The five ninja made their way to Lloyd's room. The green ninja motioned for them all to stay back before he knocked on the door.

There was no answer. Lloyd opened it quietly and peeked inside. Morro wasn't there. 

"Huh," he muttered. "Maybe he's with Nya and Skylor."

The others nodded. They followed Lloyd as he led the way to the tea store. 

"Morning, boys," Skylor greeted. She and Nya were in the middle of a card game. "How'd you sleep?"

"We heard you guys laughing at, like, three," Nya added. 

"We were having a sock fight," Jay told them. 

Skylor laughed. “That sounds fun,” she remarked.

“It was epic!” Cole exclaimed.

“It was,” Lloyd agreed. “By the way, have you guys seen Morro? I looked in my room, but he wasn’t there.”

Skylor nodded. "I'm pretty sure I saw him outside about thirty minutes ago," she said. 

"Thanks," Lloyd replied. "Do you know where he went?"

"I'm not sure," she answered. "It looked like he went up the hill, but I didn't see where."

"Okay, I'll go see if I can find him," the green ninja said. "Thanks for your help!"

He turned around and ran out of the shop, turning in the direction of the hill Skylor had mentioned. 

He ran up the slope, slipping a little because of its steepness. He paused for a moment to scan the hill. 

"Morro?" He called. 

Grey eyes peered down at him through the leaves of one of the trees. 

"Yes?" Morro replied. 

Lloyd jumped in surprise and looked up to see the former ghost in a tree only a few feet above his head. 

"You startled me," he said. 

"Sorry," Morro apologized he dropped down from the tree and landed beside Lloyd. 

"What were you doing up there?" The blonde boy asked. 

"I was just thinking," he replied. "You know, trying to remember where I came from."

"You don't have to know that," Lloyd said slowly. "This is who you are now, right?"

Morro shrugged. "I guess," he answered. "I'm still curious, though."

"I get it," the ninja told him. He changed the subject. "So, how'd you like my room?"

Morro smiled. "It's cool," he replied. "Thanks again for letting me stay here."

"Hey, it sure beats sleeping on the streets," Lloyd remarked. "Well, I'm assuming."

"You got that right," Morro told him. 

"Hey, do you wanna come and meet my friends?" Lloyd asked. 

"Yeah," he replied. "Okay."

"Let's go!" The green ninja said excitedly. He darted back down the hill, turning to make sure Morro was following him. They soon arrived at the shop. 

"Here we are," Lloyd said, opening up the door. 

The five other ninja and Skylor were standing inside. Lloyd walked up to each one and introduced them. 

"This is Jay," he told Morro as he passed the blue ninja. "We sometimes call him Motor Mouth, 'cause he talks a lot."

"Hey!" Jay snapped at Lloyd. 

The kid ignored him and approached Cole. "This is Cole," he said. "He loves cake. But don't eat his chili, under any circumstances."

Morro laughed. 

"This is Zane," Lloyd introduced the white ninja. "He's really a nindroid."

Morro tilted his head. "A what?" 

"A robot," Lloyd explained. He passed Nya. "You've already met Nya, she's really good at building mechs. And here's Skylor, she owns a really good noodle business."

Skylor and Nya waved. 

Lloyd finally reached the red ninja. "And this is Kai," he introduced. "My best friend."

Kai smiled and hugged his slightly younger friend. "That's right!"

"It's nice to meet you all," Morro said. 

"Everyone, this is Morro," Lloyd told them. "He's going to be staying with us for a while."

Zane shook his hand. "Nice to meet you, too, Morro."

"Yeah," Kai agreed. "A friend of Lloyd's is a friend of mine. Most of the time."


	4. Chapter 4

“...And this is where Cole comes to get cake,” Lloyd said, pointing to a dessert store along the sidewalk. “He’s their most faithful customer.”

Morro laughed. “I’m not surprised,” he agreed. “From what you’ve told me, he seems like he wants to marry cake.”

Cole nodded. “Cake is life,” he told them. “Nobody  _ ever _ takes my cake, got it?”

Lloyd rolled his eyes. He had decided to take Morro on a tour of New Ninjago City, and his friends had wanted to come along. He wasn’t sure why, but he hoped they had good intentions. They were his best friends, after all.

“Here’s where we get our pizza,” Jay spoke up. He stood in front of a small pizza shop. “I actually delivered for this place a long time ago, when Lloyd was still a little pipsqueak.”

Kai nodded. “I remember that! I worked kids’ birthday parties, Cole guarded the bank, and Zane was a cook at a fancy restaurant.”

“That was a pretty awful week,” Zane said. “We almost lost Lloyd.”

“You could’ve,” the green ninja added. “But you didn’t.”

Kai hugged his smaller blonde friend. “Thank the First Spinjitzu Master we didn’t,” he said.

“Hear, hear!” Jay agreed.

"Okay, I don't know about you guys," Cole said, "but I want some cake! Who's with me?"

The others laughed and followed the earth ninja into the bakery. 

Cole approached the counter. "I'll have a piece of the Double Chocolate Seven Layer Cake," he told the worker.

The man winked at Cole. "I'll make it a Triple Chocolate for my favorite customer."

Cole's brown eyes lit up. "Thanks, Benny. You're the best! By the way, how's your spaceship coming?"

"SPACESHIP!" Benny joked. "It's coming along great, Cole," he replied more calmly. "Just a few more weeks and my astronaut friends and I will be traveling to another galaxy!"

"Sounds like everything is awesome!" Cole remarked. "Well, if I can help with any heavy lifting, lemme know, ok?"

Benny nodded. "Will do!"

"Oh!" Cole said, reaching into his pocket. "I almost forgot! Here's ten studs for the cake." He handed a silver coin to Benny. 

The astronaut gave it back. "It's on the house."

"Have I mentioned you're the best?" Cole replied. He high-fived his friend. 

"I just won Ninjaball Run a few days ago," Benny added. "So, you all are welcome to a free piece of cake, to celebrate my win and your defeat of that ghost monster on Stiix last month."

Lloyd flinched, glancing at Morro. The young man didn't show any sign that he remembered the battle. Lloyd sighed in relief. 

"Thanks, Benny!" Jay said. "You really are the coolest dude in all of Ninjago."

Benny smiled. "Oh, it's nothing," he responded modestly. "I love this city. I mean, Bricksburg is great too, but you have to pay forty-seven dollars for coffee!"

"Wow, really?" Morro asked. "That's crazy!"

"It is," Benny agreed. "But, it's an awesome city regardless. President Business has retired, and now Emmet's our new president."

"Yeah, he totally earned that," Nya said. "I mean, he saved the city!"

"So did you ninja," Benny added. "Time and time again."

"He's not wrong," Jay said. 

After eating their cake, the six ninja and Morro left the shop. 

"Where to next?" Nya asked.

Lloyd shrugged. “I don’t really have any place in mind,” he replied. “I just want to make sure Morro sees as much of New Ninjago City as possible.”

“Why don’t we give him a tour of Stiix?” Jay teased, raising an eyebrow.

The green ninja glared at him. “We’re not going to Stiix, Jay,” he said sternly.

“What’s Stiix?” Morro questioned.

“Oh, Stiix is the village where—” Jay began.

“Stiix is a village surrounded by water,” Kai said, cutting him off. “It’s miles and miles away from here, and it’s not exactly a landmark, so it’s not worth going out of our way.”

Morro nodded. “That makes sense. Plus, wasn’t there a ghost attack there a few weeks ago?”

“Wait, you know about that?” Lloyd asked, surprised.

“Yeah,” Morro replied. “I heard Benny talking about it in the store. Also, I’ve been seeing it on the news ever since I came here.” He tilted his head. “Why are you surprised that I know? You’re no strangers to being in the news.”

“Oh, right,” Lloyd murmured. “I wasn’t sure.”

“Hey, it’s not your job to know,” Morro said. “I mean, it’s not like I was there.”

The other ninja glanced awkwardly at each other but stayed quiet.

Morro changed the subject. “Where are we off to next, Greenie?” He asked.

“Well, I guess we can just walk around the city and check out any interesting places,” he decided.

“Sounds good,” Zane agreed. “Morro, just let us know if you see anywhere you want to go.”

“Okay, I will,” he replied.

“Maybe we can even visit the Ninjago Museum of History,” Jay teased.

“Shut up, Motor Mouth,” Kai said, elbowing him in the stomach.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah, I hope you liked that little cameo of Benny from The LEGO Movie! Have a great week everybody!


	5. Chapter 5

Lloyd flopped down on the couch next to Kai. 

"What a day," he breathed. 

Kai laughed. "It wasn't that exciting," he pointed out. 

"Well, it was...different." Lloyd stared at the ceiling. "Who would've thought, Morro's completely changed."

"Just because he has no memory of being evil, doesn't mean he's good," the red ninja said. 

"Hey, I thought I had your support!" Lloyd protested, hitting Kai playfully.

Kai grabbed his hand, holding it still. "You always do," he replied. "I'm just trying to look out for you."

Lloyd blinked. "Look out for me?"

"Well, look out for our team. And all of Ninjago," Kai added. 

Lloyd rolled his eyes. "Uh-huh," he said sarcastically. "I'm sure that's all there is to it."

Kai blushed, but didn't argue. 

“So, you really trust him, huh?” The dark-haired ninja remarked.

“I don’t see a reason not to,” Lloyd replied.

“He tried to kill us, and curse all sixteen realms.”

Lloyd shrugged. “He doesn’t have anything against us now. He’s got an entire new life.”

“But what if he remembers?” Kai asked, concerned.

Lloyd looked up at Kai. “If he remembers,” he answered, “we’re ninja. We can handle it.”

"Yes! I win!" Zane exclaimed. 

"No, I crossed the finish line first!" Jay argued. 

"Yes, but I scored more points than you."

"Face it, Jay," Cole said, "Zane won fair and square."

Jay sighed. "How are you so good at everything, Zane?" He asked. "You win more often than any of us at video games, you're the best cook, you destroyed the Overlord without any Golden Power, and you were the first to unlock your elemental dragon, besides Lloyd."

"And you have a girlfriend," Cole added. “I mean, sure, Jay does too, but he had to pursue Nya for months before they actually got together. With you and PIXAL, it was love at first sight.”

“Why, thank you, brothers,” Zane said. “But I’m a nindroid. I’m programmed to be good at things.”

Cole shook his head. “It’s not that, Zane. It’s just who you are.”

Zane smiled. “I am who I am because of my friends.”

“Aww, that’s sweet,” Nya remarked. She sat down on the couch next to her blue-clad boyfriend and picked up a controller. “Who wants to go against me?”

Cole smirked. “You’re on!” He grabbed his controller and reset the game.

“Earth versus water!” Jay cheered. “Who will win?”

The game counted down.

_ 3...2...1… _

_ GO! _

“Ninja go!” The water ninja shouted.

Their avatars took off on their bikes, making their way through a swarm of default players. They both turned at the same time, running into power-up blocks. They continued driving as they waited to see what items they had.

“Aw, really?” Cole groaned. “A freaking banana peel? I’m in fifth place! What good is that gonna do?”

Nya, who had been right behind Cole, pressed a button on her controller that made her character grow. She squished Cole, along with several other characters, and made her way into first place.

“Hey!” The black ninja whined.

Nya laughed. “Sucker!”

The race lasted for about three minutes. The two ninja were head to head, in second and third place behind one of the CPU. They each got another power-up.

Cole’s character got a boost. “Finally!” He exclaimed as he passed Nya as well as the player in first.

“Oh, no, you don’t!” She said. Her avatar drifted past the CPU until she was right on Cole’s heels. She threw a shell.

“Are you kidding me?” He complained as the shell hit his bike.

“Ooh, sniped!” Jay yelped.

Nya steered her character across the finish line. Cole came in second.

“Good game,” the former Samurai said. “Wanna go again?”

Cole shook his head. “I’ll pass.”

“And Nya remains the undefeated Ninja Kart champion!” Zane announced.

Lloyd jumped over the back of the couch, landing between the white and black ninjas. “Ninja Kart? I wanna play!”

Kai sat down next to his green-eyed friend. “I challenge you, Lloyd Garmadon, to a Ninja Kart face-off!”   


“Let’s go, Fireball!” The younger boy agreed.

The door to the game room swung open, and the former ghost walked in.

“Hey, guys,” Morro greeted. “What are you up to?”

Lloyd turned around to face him. “We’re playing Ninja Kart,” he told him. He picked up another controller. “You want in?”

Morro shrugged. “I don’t see why not.” He sat down on the couch next to the green ninja, looking at the controller curiously. “How do I play?”

“Well, this button here makes you accelerate, this one on the back makes you slow down and drift, you steer with this, and you use this one to use power-ups,” Lloyd explained, pointing to several different buttons. “It’s a little confusing at first, but you’ll get it.”

“Uhh, okay…” He replied nervously.

_ 3...2...1… _

_ GO! _

Their avatars took off on the screen. Lloyd’s pulled ahead into first, running into the power-up block before the others.

“Come back here!” Kai ordered, a few places behind the green ninja.

Lloyd laughed but didn’t slow down. He used his power-up, dropping a banana peel on the ground behind him. The red ninja’s character slipped on it, spinning a few places back.

“Hey!” He growled. “You’re gonna pay for that!”

Morro remained in dead last. “Ugh! Come on, car. Move!” He turned to Lloyd. “Which button do you press to go again?”   


“The circle one, on the front,” he replied, not taking his eyes off the screen.

Morro pressed the button, and his avatar started driving. “Woah!” he exclaimed. “This is so cool!” He got a power-up, and his car turned into a rocket and brought him up to tenth place. “Yes! I’m not losing anymore!”

Lloyd and Kai nearly lapped him, but he didn’t give up. He got another power-up, which zapped everyone in front of him.

“Is this what it feels like to be Jay?” He joked.

The blue ninja nodded. “Pretty much.”

Morro raced past all of the CPU to third place. The other two players were still pretty far ahead, switching places every few seconds. They were approaching the finish line on the final lap, nose to nose.

“I’m gonna win!” Lloyd said excitedly.

“No, you’re not. I am!”

Right before they crossed, Morro’s character zoomed in front of them.

“How about, neither of you?” He laughed.

Lloyd and Kai crossed at the same time, Lloyd just a hair in front.

“Nice going, Morro,” the green ninja congratulated. “Told you you’d pick it up!”   


Morro smiled. “Thanks for the help, Green Machine.”

“Hey!” Kai protested. “Only I call him Green Machine!”   


Morro raised an eyebrow. “Since when?”

Kai sighed. “I’m kidding.” He changed the subject. “I want a soda. Who’s with me?”

“Me!” Lloyd yelped. He jumped up from his seat and followed Kai into the kitchen.

Morro watched the two boys leave. He turned to the others. “Are they…?”

Cole smiled. “You catch on fast, dude.”


	6. Chapter 6

The door to the game room swung open.

"Hello, my students," an elderly man greeted the six ninja.

"Hey, Sensei," they all replied in unison.

A woman who looked about the same age as the Sensei entered the room.

Lloyd jumped up. "Mom! You're back!" He bolted over and hugged her.

"How was your vacation?" Jay asked.

Sensei turned to the blue ninja. "Misako and I had a very...fun time," he said.

Lloyd looked up at him, suspicious. "What do you mean, 'fun'?"

He smirked. "Let's just say I got to try some things. Things I hadn't done in years."

Misako quickly interjected. "What he means to say," she addressed her son, "is that it was an interesting trip. Your uncle hadn't eaten fondue in a long time, so we tried some. Things like that."

The green ninja nodded, but Kai could see his face fall. Lloyd walked away from Misako and sat on the couch beside the master of fire, who gave him a reassuring hug.

Jay noticed the exchange. "So Sensei Wu got his groove back," he remarked.

Kai gave him the death stare before grabbing Lloyd's hand and pulling him out the door. The others watched them leave in silence.

Cole glared at the blue ninja. "Nice going, Jay," he said sarcastically.

"That was quite rude, brother," Zane added.

Nya shook her head, looking away from her boyfriend. Wu and Misako glanced at each other uncomfortably. The room was silent for a few moments until the door opened once again and in strolled the dark-haired guest.

"Hey guys," Morro greeted as he entered the room. "What did I miss?"

Wu turned around and gasped. "Morro?"

"We may have forgotten to mention something," Cole piped up awkwardly.

Morro blinked his grey eyes, looking at the Sensei. "D-Do I know you?"

The man opened his mouth to reply, but closed it quickly and thought for a minute. "No," he sighed, uncertain. "No, you don't."

The former ghost tilted his head. "You seem...familiar," he said slowly.

Wu glanced at Zane, who shook his head. He turned back to Morro. "I—No," he replied. "I'm sorry."

"No, really," Morro pressed. "I know I've seen you before."

"Probably on TV," the Sensei lied. "I've been on the news a few times."

"Oh, were you at that Stiix place when it was attacked a while ago?"

Wu looked away. "Uh, yes. But that's not important." He walked slowly out of the building, Misako following close behind.

"What was that all about?" Morro wondered, confused.

Nya shrugged. "Who knows?"

"Old people, am I right?" Jay laughed awkwardly.

"Just forget it," Cole told him. He picked up a controller and handed it to Morro. "Wanna play another round?"

* * *

Kai walked into his room, still holding Lloyd's hand. He closed and locked the door behind them as the green ninja sat down on his friend's bed and buried his face in his hands.

The brunette sat down beside the green-clad boy and slipped his arm around his shoulders. Lloyd didn't respond. He didn't even look up.

"You okay, buddy?" Kai asked softly.

Lloyd shook his head. He started to tear up but fought back the urge to cry in front of the fire ninja.

Kai pulled Lloyd into another comforting hug. The slightly younger boy gave in and started crying faintly.

"How could they?" He wondered. "My father's gone. I don't know if I'll ever see him again. I would think my mother would be at least a little upset." His gaze hardened. "But what does she do? Runs off and hooks up with my uncle!"

"Whoa," Kai said calmly. "We don't know what happened between them. Why expect the worst?"

Lloyd looked up at his spiky-haired friend. "I know them, Kai," he snapped. "And trust me, I know for a fact that they weren't just 'hanging out'." He shook his head sadly. "I can't believe it."

Kai brought the smaller boy onto his lap. "I'm so sorry, Lloyd," he breathed.

The green ninja buried his face in Kai's chest and continued crying quietly. Kai held him in silence for what seemed like ages. He didn't mind, though. _I'd do anything for him,_ he thought. _I won't leave 'till he feels better._

After about an hour, Lloyd lifted his head, looking up at Kai with his big green eyes. "What happens now?" He asked.

"I-I don't know," he replied. "Do you want to talk with Misako and Sensei about it?"

"No!" The blonde boy exclaimed. "I'm never talking to them again."

Kai ran his fingers through Lloyd's soft hair. "That's a little much, don't you think?"

Lloyd glared at him. "You know what I'm just realizing now? My mom l _eft me_. She left me alone when I was just a kid. And she didn't even come back for me."

Kai raised an eyebrow, confused. "She's here now."

"She came back for _him_ ," he finished bitterly.

"That's not true," Kai tried to reassure him.

It didn't work, as Lloyd just sighed and turned away. Kai wrapped his arms around the green ninja's waist, but he pulled away.

He looked back into Kai's brown eyes. "Kai, you're my best friend, you know that. But look what's happening right now. Love is a mess. I can't fall in love."

Kai stared back, eyes soft. "Why not?"

"If other people's relationships are screwing up my life, then just think what one of my own would do?"

The red ninja blinked. "I'd never let anything hurt you," he said.

Lloyd smiled. "I know," he replied. "But I just can't. Not right now."

Kai's eyes sparkled mischievously. "Wanna be friends with benefits, then?"

Lloyd hit him playfully. "Shut up!" He laughed. His voice grew more serious. "I can't fall in love. If I keep this up with you, I know I will. But don't worry, I'll let you know when I'm ready for a real relationship." He kissed Kai on the nose. "I promise, you're the first one I'll come to."

The red ninja grinned. "I'll look forward to that."


	7. Chapter 7

“Morro, could you come in here?” Jay called from the kitchen.

Morro ran into the room. “Yeah, Jay?”

Jay handed him a list. “I need these ingredients to make dinner tonight. Can you pick them up for me?”

He nodded. “Sure thing. Only, I thought it was Cole’s night to cook.”

Jay raised an eyebrow. “Are you really going to question that?”

Morro laughed. “Nope.” He looked over the list. “Okay, where should I get these?”

“There’s a NinjaMart right here…” He circled a building on a paper map. “You can pick them up there. Just get ‘em back here by five, kay?”

He glanced at the clock, which read  _ 1:00 pm _ , and nodded. “Sounds good.” He turned on his heel and left the kitchen.

Jay went to work getting out everything else he would use to make his signature dinner: chicken pizza. A few minutes later, the earth ninja strolled in.

Kai was staring out the window, sighing as he listened to Jay and Cole in the kitchen.

“It’s my turn to cook tonight!”

“Oh heck no, Cole! We’re not eating your cooking. Not tonight, not ever.”

“Is your cooking any better?”   
  
“Um, yeah. And you know how I know that? It isn’t going to kill us!”   


“My cooking hasn’t—”   


“Will you two shut up?” Kai snapped.

Jay snorted. “Well, someone’s in a mood.”   


“He’s just upset ‘cause Lloyd broke up with him,” Cole said quietly.

“He didn’t break up with me!” The red ninja argued defensively. “We were never dating in the first place.”

“Oh, okay,” Jay said mischievously. “So you were just experimenting?”

Kai glared at him. “I would never do that to Lloyd!”

“Well, you were head-over-heels for Skylor just, like, three months ago,” Cole reminded him. “She was into you too. Why don’t you go out with her?”

“Because,” the brunette explained, “I’m into  _ guys _ . Not you two, though. Just Lloyd.”

Jay nodded. “I get what you mean. If I liked guys, I’d totally -”

“Don’t even think about it,” Kai growled. “I’m not surprised, though. You’re dating my little sister, so it makes sense that you’d date Lloyd, because he’s like my brother.”

Jay smirked. “You’d bang your brother? That’s inbreeding, Kai.”

Kai gave him the death stare. “Screw you, Jay.”

“Your sister already did,” Cole joked.

Kai jumped up. “Oh, no, you didn’t!”

“Run!” Jay whispered.

The blue and black ninjas bolted down the hallway, Kai close behind them.

"Now, where did Jay say this store was?" Morro wondered out loud, looking over a map. He turned it around, glaring at all the tiny words and lines. "Ugh, how do people read these things?" He turned the map on its side. "Looks like I have to...take the subway...?"

He looked up to see a bright yellow sign that read 'subway'. Morro stumbled down a flight of stairs, bumping into various people as he did so. 

"Sorry!"

"My bad!"

"Pardon me!"

He finally ended up at the bottom. He purchased a subway pass and waited for the car. He glanced to his left and noticed a black-clad man with a mask singing  _ Heroes _ in a deep, raspy voice. Morro walked over and put five studs in the man's hat, which was lying on the round. 

The man nodded at Morro. "Thanks, kid," he said. "What's your name?"

Morro tilted his head uncertainly. "My name's Morro," he replied.

"Well, thank you, Morro," the man responded. "I'm Batman."

Morro realized he wasn't lying. "You're the real Batman?" He exclaimed. "But, don't you have, like, a log of money?"

"I don't do it for the money," Batman told him. "I do it for the performance."

Morro smiled before returning to his seat. After about ten minutes, the subway car arrived. The former ghost strolled into the car, getting slightly lost in the throng of people. He pushed his way through and sat down in the only empty seat he could find.

"Mind if I sit here?" He asked the person in the seat next to him.

"Of course," she replied. 

Morro looked up at her, and his jaw dropped slightly.  _ Wow _ , he thought admiringly. She had long blonde hair, brown eyes, and light skin.

"H-hi," he stuttered.

The girl laughed sweetly. "Hello," she replied. "I haven't seen you around before." She blinked. "Or, maybe I have. I feel like I have, but I don't remember when or where." The girl laughed again, shaking her head. "I'm sorry. I get kinda weird sometimes."

Morro smiled at her. "Hey, aren't we all?" He remarked, regaining his composure. "I'm Morro."  _ She's not wrong. I remember her...I think.  _ This girl definitely seemed familiar.

“Nice to meet you, Morro,” she said. “I’m Bansha.”

Morro’s eyes widened.  _ Bansha. I definitely know her from somewhere. _ “But where?”

“What was that?”

The young man realized he had spoken the last part out loud. “Uh, nothing,” he said. “Where...have we met before?”

“I don’t know,” Bansha replied. “I think somewhere, but I really can’t remember.” She changed the subject. “So, are you new to the area?”

He nodded. “Yeah,” he responded. “Well, to be honest, I don’t remember most of my life, up until a couple weeks ago. Sometimes I get flashbacks, but I could just be imagining them. I don’t remember where I came from, what I’ve done, or anything.” He laughed slightly. “I’m not sure why I’m telling you all this. You don’t have to listen—”

“No,” she cut him off. “I  _ want _ to listen. Besides, as crazy as it might sound, the same thing happened to me.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. I woke up one day and didn’t remember anything about my earlier life,” she explained. “I get flashbacks every now and then, too. At least, I think they’re flashbacks. They seem so...realistic. I hope they’re not what really happened - things like ghosts, monsters, being burned by water…”

Morro blinked his wide grey eyes. “M-me too!” He gasped.

“No way!” Bansha said. She sighed and was silent for a few moments. “I wonder what happened?”

He shrugged. “Beats me. I’ve been trying to figure that out for weeks.”

“Huh,” she replied. “Same.”

“So, uh, where are you from?” Morro asked awkwardly.

Bansha laughed. “I told you, I don’t remember,” she said. She realized immediately why he was acting strange. “Hey, you wanna grab some lunch?” She asked. “I know this really great restaurant in the city."

Morro blushed. “Y-yeah,” he replied. “Yeah, would be great.”

“Sweet,” she remarked. “It’s a pretty cheap restaurant, but the view is really pretty.”

“You’re really pretty,” he replied without thinking, blushing as he realized what he said.

She smiled. “Why, thank you,” she said. “You’re not so bad yourself.”


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy some semi-plotless fluff XD

"Has anyone seen Morro?" Jay asked. "I asked him to get groceries about three hours ago."

Kai shook his head, absorbed in a book. Cole, who was sitting on the counter trying to annoy the blue ninja, didn't reply.

The front door opened and Morro walked in, carrying a few bags of groceries.

"I'm here," he announced. He set the bags on the counter. "Sorry I took so long." He blushed. "I met a girl!"

Jay dropped what he was doing and turned to the former ghost. "Spill," he ordered excitedly.

Cole and Kai also looked up at Morro as he began to describe what had happened. 

"Well, I was on the subway," he began, "and I sat next to her. She was really friendly! And so freaking pretty!"

"What did she look like?" Cole asked, intrigued.

"Long blonde hair, brown eyes," he recalled his memories of Bansha. "The prettiest girl I've ever seen."

"Ooh, sounds like Morro's in love," Cole teased. 

He shrugged. "Maybe, guys." He sighed. "Maybe."

Kai looked down at the floor, silent. The others noticed his shift in mood. Jay and Cole understood and didn't say a word. However, Morro didn't get it. 

"What's wrong, Kai?" He asked, not noticing the black and blue ninjas shaking their heads. 

The master of fire didn't look too happy. "I don't wanna talk about it."

Cole whispered in Morro's ear. "Lloyd turned him down, that's all."

Morro looked confused. "I thought they were dating," he said. 

Jay shook his head. "They weren't. They like each other, but Lloyd doesn't want to date. Not right now, anyway."

"I see," Morro replied, nodding. "Don't worry, Kai," he said to the red ninja. "He'll come around."

Kai smiled half-heartedly before standing up and leaving the room.

The others watched him leave, not saying a word. After the red ninja was out of sight,

Jay turned back to Morro.

"So," he said. "Maybe sometime we can go on a double date? You know, me and Nya, you and your girlfriend..."

"Uh, I don't think she's my girlfriend," Morro told him, laughing awkwardly. 

Jay shrugged. "Who cares? You like her, she likes you. I'd say you two just hurry up and -"

Cole cut him off. "Okay, Jay. I think he gets the point." He changed the subject. "So, when's dinner? I know if it were  _ my _ turn, it would already be in our hungry stomachs."

"Or in the toilets," Jay teased. "Well, Morro's now back with the groceries, so it should be about twenty minutes. Wanna go tell the others to start getting ready?"

Cole raised an eyebrow. "For pizza? In twenty minutes?"

"No. I'm just trying to get you out of the kitchen," Jay replied. "Now go!"

Morro giggled as Cole stormed out.

"Fine. I'll go find Kai," the black ninja announced. "He's probably somewhere fawning over Lloyd."

Jay nodded. "Isn't he always?"

* * *

"Kai!" Lloyd groaned. "Can't I ever shoot?"

The red ninja dribbled the basketball in circles around the younger boy. "Of course!"

Lloyd reached out to grab the ball, but Kai pulled it away.

"If you can steal it from me, that is!" He tossed the ball into the hoop with ease. 

Lloyd picked up the rebound. "Ha! Got it!" He bounced it a few times and shot for the basket. The ball hit the rim and flew back, causing Lloyd to jump out of the way to avoid being hit. "Aww, man," he sighed. "How are you so good at this?"

Kai smirked. "I'm good at everything."

The green ninja prepared for another throw. Right before he released, he aimed it toward Kai. The brunette didn't see it coming until it was too late, and the orange and black ball hit him in the face. 

Lloyd burst out laughing. "Well, what do you know? My aim doesn't totally suck!"

Kai laughed. "I'll get you, Greenie!" He darted toward Lloyd, who squealed in mock terror and started running away.

The fire ninja chased Lloyd onto the grass near the basketball court. Lloyd got tired of running and turned around, bowling Kai over. The two landed on the grass, with Lloyd pinning Kai by the shoulders, straddling his waist. 

"Hey!" Kai said. He suddenly blushed when he realized the awkward position they were in. 

Lloyd noticed his blush and looked down. He immediately rolled off of Kai, who sighed quietly in disappointment. 

"Sorry," the green ninja apologized, embarrassed.

"No, it's fine!" Kai said, trying to reassure him. 

Lloyd held out his hand to Kai and helped him up. Neither let go at once, though. 

The green ninja smiled. He leaned up, to Kai's surprise. When he was close to his friend's face, he turned his head and whispered in his ear: "You're it."

He turned on his heel and ran off in the other direction. Kai chuckled and chased after him. 

"Oh, no, you don't!"

He finally caught up to Lloyd, who was shooting hoops on the basketball court. "Want me to help you with your aim?" He asked. 

Lloyd nodded. "That would be awesome, thanks!"

Kai handed the ball to the blonde boy. He pressed himself against Lloyd's back and placed his arms over his teammate's.

"Ready...and...now!"

Kai held onto Lloyd's hands and pushed the ball into the air. It fell through the hoop without even touching the rim. 

"Whoa!" Lloyd exclaimed. 

Kai gave him a high-five. "Yeah, nothing but net!"

Lloyd hugged the slightly taller boy. "We make a good team."

"Yeah," Kai agreed. He had a feeling the kid wasn't just talking about basketball. "We do, don't we?"

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been so busy recently, and I think I'm going through Greenflame withdrawals. I need to write more.
> 
> Have a great rest of your week!

**Author's Note:**

> Please leave a comment! New chapters coming soon!
> 
> Thank you so much for reading :)


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